Floods in South Asia

Floods and landslides across India and Bangladesh have affected millions of people and left over 100 dead. The South Asian nations are home to more than 1.3 billion people.

The region has experienced some of the worst flooding in years. According to UNICEF, approximately 4 million people, including 1.6 million children, have been stranded by the flash floods in Bangladesh.

UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh, Sheldon Yett, said on Monday: “Children need safe drinking water right now. Preventing deadly waterborne diseases is one of several critical concerns.”

In the northeastern Indian state of Assam, at least 48 people have died since June. According to its disaster management authority, over 5.5 million people have been affected in the region alone.

Experts say that even though monsoon floods are a recurring problem, governments are often slow to act and respond only after areas are underwater. Parth Joyti Das, head of the water and climate division at Aaranyak, an NGO in Assam, says it is necessary that authorities develop better forecasting mechanisms, build embankments and ensure people are informed in time.

A climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Roxy Mathew Koll said, “the densely populated South Asia is the most vulnerable to climate change due to its proximity to the rapidly warming Indian Ocean on its south and the rapidly melting glaciers on its north.”

Extreme weather events are becoming increasingly frequent as a result of climate change.

Image from CNN